The nose is a multi-faceted part of our anatomy and so not all rhinoplasties will be the same. Many serve an aesthetic purpose while others may be functional, in order to help your breathing. We offer numerous types of rhinoplasty in Fort Worth and our experienced facial plastic surgeons will be happy to discuss them with you further during a consultation.
Rhinoplasties can be divided into two primary types: open and closed. With an open rhinoplasty, we make a tiny incision on the outside of the nose that you will never notice once it has healed; a closed rhinoplasty requires incisions on the inside of the nose. By making that tiny incision on the outside, we can completely lift the skin and the fat of your nose and see all the individual asymmetries that are unique to your anatomy. This allows us to be as precise as possible for your rhinoplasty!
For that reason, we at North Texas Plastic Surgery always perform an open rhinoplasty—so we know exactly what is going on within the nose. We do not want to try and guess at fixes, the way would have to with a closed rhinoplasty.
Septoplasty involves straightening the scepter, which is the central part of your nose. Either genetics or trauma can cause that septum to be kicked off to one side, or even bent in a C-shape. Aside from aesthetics, the problem with those deviations is that they can significantly reduce the airflow through your nose. Because the operation is primarily to improve your quality of life, we call it a functional rhinoplasty.
We will often straighten the septum so that your nose not only looks straighter, but so that you can breathe better. We can also help your breathing by opening your external nasal valve and use little pieces of cartilage to help support it. This prevents the nose from collapsing when you take a deep breath. We may place little pieces of cartilage inside the nose to open up your internal nasal valve, where many people find obstruction. By putting in a tiny piece of cartilage, we can massively increase the size of the airway passage without negatively affecting the external appearance.
When we are doing a functional rhinoplasty, our Fort Worth surgeons may also work on your inferior turbinates. A turbinate is a little piece of bone on the inside of your nose whose job it is to help regulate airflow. The problem is that sometimes the bone gets overgrown and the turbinate, which is there to regulate airflow, actually obstructs your airflow. In those cases, we can surgically modify that bone to help open that airway.
A tip plasty is a small rhinoplasty where surgeons work on the aesthetics of the very tip of the nose. We rarely perform this type of rhinoplasty by itself. When most people really start to consider what they want for their nose, they usually decide to change the whole thing and not just the very tip! However, the tip is a crucial part of the final product and we will work on it along with the rest of the structure.
If you are not prepared to do a full rhinoplasty right now, we also offer a “liquid” or non-surgical rhinoplasty, which helps a lot of people. In this process, we inject filler to help camouflage little bumps or irregularities in the nose or to accentuate the tip of the nose. It is a great temporary option for someone who is not ready to commit to surgery!
Before you get your procedure in our Fort Worth AAAASF-accredited surgical facility, we will discuss the type of rhinoplasty you desire. For more information about what you need to do to prepare for your procedure, schedule a consultation with one of our highly skilled plastic surgeons.
